Last week, Washington Commanders fans were scratching their heads. It was when Terry McLaurin became a no-show for mandatory minicamp. The star receiver had been grinding through all the offseason workouts and OTAs like clockwork. Then, he suddenly went MIA when Tuesday’s three-day minicamp kicked off. Ian Rapoport broke the news that McLaurin didn’t report, leaving everyone wondering what was going on behind the scenes. But now there’s a fresh twist in this whole saga for rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and the entire Washington offense.
McLaurin is staring down his final season on a deal that suddenly looks like pocket change compared to what top receivers are pulling in today. The dude wants security before risking his body for another full campaign, and honestly, who can blame him?
Thursday brought some serious buzz when NFL Rumours dropped a bombshell prediction: “Washington #Commanders WR Terry McLaurin could receive a contract extension worth $36M-$37M per year, making him the #NFL second highest paid WR.” That number isn’t coming out of thin air either – multiple analysts are throwing around similar figures, suggesting McLaurin’s market value has absolutely exploded since his last deal.
Washington #Commanders WR Terry McLaurin could receive a contract extension worth $36M-$37M per year, making him the #NFL second highest paid WR pic.twitter.com/8TOvDTOT6u
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) June 18, 2025
CBS Sports’ Jeff Kerr isn’t sweating the drama, though, chalking it up to business as usual between these two parties. “This is typical business between McLaurin and the Commanders. As both sides went through a similar situation prior to McLaurin’s last extension. The Commanders don’t seem too concerned about it. But the market has certainly changed since McLaurin’s last extension,” Kerr wrote. That’s the understatement of the year. The receiver market has gone completely bonkers since McLaurin signed his three-year, $68.2 million extension back in 2022.
Here’s the kicker: McLaurin is currently averaging $23.2 million annually. That ranks him 16th among receivers. Moreover, it somehow makes him the second-highest-paid guy on his team behind newcomer Deebo Samuel. That’s gotta sting a little when you’re coming off a career-best 13-touchdown season. And finally, have a quarterback in Jayden Daniels who can actually get you the ball consistently.
The timing is brutal with players heading into their month-long vacation break. Washington has to decide whether to hammer out a deal before training camp. Or play chicken and see if McLaurin shows up anyway. Either way, dragging this out feels like playing with fire when you’ve got a franchise receiver who just proved he’s worth every penny of that potential $37 million payday. But hold up – could Washington actually be crazy enough to ship their golden boy’s favorite target to Foxborough? With contract talks stalling and McLaurin’s price tag skyrocketing, this wild Patriots trade might not be as far-fetched as it sounds.
If Terry gets shipped to the New England Patriots
Just when Washington finally built something special with their receiver room after landing Deebo Samuel, some wild trade proposals are floating around. Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox recently cooked up six different scenarios where the Commanders would supposedly ship Terry McLaurin out of town. That includes one head-scratcher that sends him to New England for tight end Austin Hooper and a 2026 second-rounder.
Knox’s reasoning focuses on helping Drake Maye’s development. He wrote, “The New England Patriots did an incredible job of improving the supporting cast of second-year quarterback Drake Maye this offseason. McLaurin, meanwhile, showed last season that he can be a tremendous asset for a young, developing quarterback.” He tries to sweeten the deal by highlighting Hooper being four years younger than Washington’s current starter Zach Ertz. But conveniently ignores that Ertz absolutely crushed Hooper’s production with nearly 200 more receiving yards and twice as many touchdowns.
credits: social media
The timing couldn’t be worse for this kind of talk. McLaurin just delivered his best season ever alongside rookie Jayden Daniels, finally cracking double-digit touchdowns with 13 scores while racking up just under 1,100 yards. The chemistry between those two was electric, and now you want to break that up? Washington has everything lined up for a legitimate playoff run with Samuel and McLaurin forming one of the league’s most dangerous receiving duos. Trading away your most reliable weapon right when the window is opening would be absolutely insane.
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